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Eva Jane and Charlotte of Dunn Elementary give us an update on Fort Collins, Colo.'s record warm and dry March.

While we were enduring a rather wet and chilly March, the rest of the nation was basking in record warmth.

That included Ft. Collins, Colorado. I could tell you more in boring text, but instead, let's let Charlotte and Eva Jane from Dunn Elementary in Fort Collins fill you in on their record-breaking month:

To compare to Seattle, our normal average high in March is 45.1 degrees -- so nearly four degrees warmer than Fort Collins. But this year we were at 43.1 degrees -- a full seven degrees colder! And we had no trouble filling our rain gauges with 7.20" of rain -- double our average with 22 days with measurable rain.

Anyway, great job Charlotte and Eva Jane! Hopefully my two daughters will take a similar interest when they get a little older, and kudos to the Poudre School District for this creative way of getting kids involved with science. And if there are any local schools that do similar weather-related presentations, let me know.

P.S. Thanks to UW Research Meteorologist Mark Albright for finding this little gem. And to Charlotte and Eva Jane, if there are any more of those record-breaking cookies, sign us up!

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SEATTLE -- If Seattle was awarded a trophy for every heat record we've broken over the past year and a half...we'd have to build a new case. In fact, the "trophy" awarded Friday should probably be among the larger in the display shelf.

Firefighters, by the nature of their job, already have one of the hottest jobs you could imagine. But what about when Mother Nature brings blazing temperatures on the outside as well?

When a massive fire broke out in an apartment building on Queen Anne Hill on July 1 , firefighters were called in from as far away as Redmond, Shoreline and Bellevue as temperatures were sitting at 90 degrees. Why so many firefighters from all over? To make sure there were plenty on hand to rotate in and out so firefighters didn't overheat.

And with 90 degrees suddenly common this summer around Seattle, I wondered how local fire departments were dealing with the relentless heat, and how they manage to keep firefighters cool when their surroundings are burning up.